The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx opens Saturday, Nov. 14, and Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo begins Saturday, Nov. 21. The New York Philharmonic performs Puccini's "Tosca" in concert at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 13 and 15. The Union Square Holiday Market and the Winter Village at Bryant Park are free to browse.
New York's holiday season is starting to open up, beginning the second weekend of November. In the Bronx, the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show begins Saturday, Nov. 14, and the Bronx Zoo's Holiday Lights starts Saturday, Nov. 21. In Manhattan, the holiday markets and ice rinks at Union Square and Bryant Park are already operating. Here is a roundup of the main events running from Nov. 13 through Nov. 22.
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) Holiday Train Show opens Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs through Jan. 10, 2027. Model trains run among nearly 200 replicas of New York landmarks made from plant materials such as bark, pinecones and cinnamon, and this year a model of One Vanderbilt has been added. The garden is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The All-Garden Pass, which includes the exhibition, costs $35 for adults on weekdays and $39 on weekends, and $15 to $17 for children. The Metro-North Harlem Line's Botanical Garden station is closest, but because of station construction visitors must take a detour, so it is best to allow extra time. A sensory-friendly visit with the music and video turned off will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9 to 11 a.m. Details are at nyandnj.com/event/nybg-holiday-train-show-2026.
The Bronx Zoo's evening event, Holiday Lights, starts with its first weekend on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22, and runs on select dates through Jan. 3. More than 400 lanterns line six trails, and this year the Children's Zoo farm and the World of Darkness and World of Reptiles exhibits will also be open at night. Tickets can only be bought online in advance; date-specific tickets are $37.95 for adults and $22.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Entry begins at 1 p.m., and the lights come on at 4:30 p.m. The No. 2 subway to Pelham Pkwy or the BxM11 express bus reaches the Bronx River Gate. Details are at nyandnj.com/event/bronx-zoo-holiday-lights-2026.
The New York Philharmonic performs Puccini's "Tosca" in concert format at Carnegie Hall on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. Gustavo Dudamel conducts, with Marina Rebeka (Tosca), Jonas Kaufmann (Cavaradossi) and Ludovic Tézier (Scarpia). The performance runs about three hours including intermission, and subtitles are provided. Tickets for the Nov. 15 performance start at $199 including fees and are sold on the Carnegie Hall website. Details are at nyandnj.com/event/nyphil-tosca-carnegie-hall-2026-11.
Among the places that are free to browse is the Union Square Holiday Market. It opens Nov. 12 and runs through Dec. 24, with nearly 200 shops, including craftspeople and designers, setting up booths. It is open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays until 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., right outside the 14 St–Union Square subway station. Details are at nyandnj.com/event/union-square-holiday-market-2026.
At the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park in Midtown, visitors who bring their own skates can skate on the rink for free with a reservation. Free tickets are released daily, starting one week in advance. The rink is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with hours extended to midnight starting Thursday, Nov. 19. On Sundays, Nov. 15 and 22, from 9 to 11 a.m., the rink holds sensory-friendly sessions with the music turned off. The park's holiday shops stay open through Jan. 3. Take the B, D, F or M train to 42 St–Bryant Park. Details are at nyandnj.com/event/bryant-park-winter-village-2026.
The event schedule is continually updated at nyandnj.com/events.